The class that I am currently enrolled in, Action Research for the Educator, was in my mind the worst class I was going to take. I dreaded the research part! I'm going to cheat for a minute and steal from my own class discussion post, so that you can get an idea how the first week in this dreaded class panned out:
"As I pondered this class and wondered what it would have to offer me, I honestly thought that I would be bored with the content; research does not sound like something that I was looking forward to learning. However, my mind was quickly changed as I watched Kevin Berry, elementary school teacher in the “Dial A Researcher” portion of the class resources, speak about the changes he was able to influence on a higher educational level because of the research he was conducting. He stated that one of the benefits of teacher research is that it results in positive changes in the teaching practice, and that it can influence policy change on not only the school level, but all the way up to the state level (LEI, 2010a). At that point it dawned on me, that this is the class that takes us beyond being well educated educators and makes us educational professionals. Research professionals Dr. Nancy Dana and Dr. Diane Yendol-Hoppey affirm that so often teachers are expected not only respond to all the needs of the children in their classroom, but they are also expected to respond to all the changes advocated by professionals outside the schools. “Teachers’ voices have typically been absent from larger discussions about educational change and reform” (Dana & Yendol-Hoppey, p. 1, 2009). It is time to change this stigma. Teachers voices should be the first ones heard when change is at hand. Teachers should be the professionals advocating necessary changes. Action research will not only inform my teaching and classroom practices, but it will also inform future change.
I think that the general public sees teachers as just that- “just teachers”. We are in the classroom instructing, and grading, and teaching, but that’s all. Sadly, this is the case too much of the time. In light of the realizations that I have already come to (I am ready to play a larger role in the inner workings of educational change), I would like for the public to see that teachers are not only instructors, but that we are researchers striving to make necessary changes in the world of education. There are so many decisions made in the state government level regarding education that I do not always agree with, or that need to go further. I am not content anymore to just sit back and watch. I want for the public to see that teachers, the ones who are in the classroom 8 plus hours a day implementing these policies that the government puts into place, are also making a difference in policy and changes. It is important to not just sit and complain about the way things are, but to take a step toward influencing that change."
(Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010a). Dial-A-Researcher:Week 1- Introduction. [Video webcast]. Action Research For Educators. Retrieved from http:// www.courseurl.com
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010b). Student Course Introduction. [Video webcast]. Action Research For Educators. Retrieved from
http:// www.courseurl.com
Dana, N.F., Yendol-Hoppey, D. (2009). The Reflective Educators Guide to Classroom Research. Corwin Press: Thousand Oaks, CA)
Ok. Let me start with my "wandering"
“How can learning centers be used to improve literacy among kindergarten students?”
"Moving my classroom from a lecture based class to a centers based class room will take a few major changes to accomplish. The first and most obvious change will come in the way that my classroom is set up- they physical make up of my small class. I have a small classroom with 2 doors, and no windows. It is divided in 2 areas, the learning area and the play area. Currently, the focus in my class is the chalkboard. All desks are pointed to the board, all posters and game boards are taped to the wall directly in front of the desks on the wall beside the board. For this study, and the upcoming school year, I am going to do away with the division between the learning area of the class and the play area. These two ideas are going to mesh into one. The entire classroom will be devoted to learning and fun. I am going to have to continue to use the chalkboard for group instruction, however, the instructional posters, and game boards will be spread around the room. There will be tables set up to use for center play. I am also going to create a reading center in which the students will feel comfortable laying back and practicing their growing literacy skills. All centers will be organized in baskets at kid level. I will create a physical environment in which all students are able to find something that catches their interest.
As far as my actual teaching is concerned, I am going to revise my daily schedule. There will be a time for the typical instruction in which I will stand in front of the class and teach and they will answer questions. This time will be reduced by half. The remainder of the instruction time, plus some, will be used as center time. I will give the students instruction and allow them to explore the centers to practice the new skills, therefore, the amount of student worksheets will be reduced.
In the midst of all these changes, I will be collecting data and researching the benefits of these changes with my students. I plan to gauge the effectiveness of the study by analyzing the standardized testing scores, the reading levels of students, and over all academic grades. "
Ok, now that the groundwork is lain, we can get down to the fun stuff. I am going to use a lot of pictures to show the transformation.
These pictures are how my classroom looks right now. All my stuff is in the hallway. You could look at it as bare and empty but I look at it as a clean slate.
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